Plenty of Fish in the Sea
by DrowningEmbers
Summary: Katniss is a junior at Panem University, and studying to be a nurse. There is only one requirement she hasn't fulfilled. At Panem University, which is very close to the ocean, every student, must learn to swim, and the class is taught by Finnick Odair. If you don't like the Finnick and Katniss pairing, don't read. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Jenebra and I are working on this story together. **

**We do not own the Hunger Games story or characters, Susan Collins does. **

**If you don't like the Katniss/Finnick pairing, don't read.**

"Let's go, Bitch!"

That's Johanna, my roommate and, I guess, friend. This is my third year living with her and I'm still not sure she even knows my name.

Today, we're late. Swimming lessons start in two minutes and I am currently wasting that precious time by stopping to tie my shoe. Johanna paces back and forth in front of me as I pull the rabbit ear through the hole.

"If we get in trouble, I'm blaming you. I don't care if we're room-mates – if a bus comes, I'm throwing you under it." She's ceased her pacing and is now tapping her foot impatiently.

Usually, Johanna wouldn't care about being late to a class, but when the famous _Finnick Odair_ is teaching it, of course she wants to be the teacher's pet. For the past week, all I've heard is "Finnick Odair's abs" and "Finnick Odair's hair" and "Finnick Odair's smile." Apparently, he's some hot-shot former Olympian who only agreed to start teaching at this god-forsaken university because he knew Headmaster Snow. And because he's here, I now, like everyone else, have to take swimming lessons. Kill. Me. Now.

Shoes tied, Johanna grabs my hand and drags me to the pool. On the way to the locker rooms, I catch a glimpse of a handsome, bronze-haired young man wearing nothing but a pair of candy-apple red swim trunks. He's turned away from me, but I can see water and sweat glistening off the muscles on his back. He's talking to Haymitch, the head of Panem University's athletic department, and the two of them are laughing together. _Good_, I think, _Haymitch could use a friend_…He's been the athletic director here for years, going home every night and drinking himself into oblivion.

Before the door to the locker room closes, Johanna unashamedly rips off t-shirt and bra, tripping out of her jeans as she does so. I blush. While I'm accustomed to Johanna's brazen nature, I've never been particularly with nudity, mine or anyone else's. The way I saw it, clothes were made for a reason.

I set my bag down in my locker and began to dig through its contents. Water bottle, car keys, wallet, cell phone, goggles…where was my swimsuit? I know I grabbed it this morning right before Gale, one of my best friends, called. I must have set it down on the bed while we were talking!

Mumbling a quick excuse to Johanna, I ran out of the room and barreled across the tiles lining the sides of the pools. A whistle caught my attention.

"No running on the side of the pool!" It didn't register in my mind that the voice could be speaking to me.

Another whistle. "I said no running!"

The world started to move in slow motion. My foot slipped on a patch of wet tile and suddenly I was falling headfirst into the pool. I could faintly hear screams of horror coming around me before a rush of water overtook my senses and I began to sink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jenebra and I are writing this story together.**

**We do not own the Hunger Games, or the characters.**

**Finnick/Katniss pairing, if you don't like it, don't read. **

**Rated M for later chapters.**

The next thing that registered in my brain was that I couldn't breathe. There was water in my nose and I could feel the shoes I had so carefully tied pulling me down. My back hit the bottom, and the air was too far away. Blackness consumed my vision and the last thing I was aware of was a strong arm grabbing me around the middle.

I cough and spluttered my way back into consciousness, only to feel someone's lips pressed against mine. Weakly, I tried to protest, and whoever it was, jumped back, shocked.

"Katniss! Katniss, that's your name right?"

Green eyes stared into my grey ones. A face haloed by shining bronze hair was leaning so close to mine, it stole my oxygen. The face belongs to the boy from earlier. Finnick Odair. _Damn, __Johanna was right._ Outrage kicked my limbs into action and I shoved him away with all my might. To my shame, he barely rocked backwards.

"Yes that's me," I shouted at him. I usually wouldn't be this short-tempered, but I'd just woken up to a guy I had never met, kissing me. "Now can you tell me who you are, and what you were just doing?!"

"Katniss, you were running around the pool, on slick tile, and fell in. As I learned when you sank, you don't know how to swim, which is precisely why you're going to learn. From me. My name is Finnick Odair, and I am your swimming instructor. And what I was doing was saving your damn life. You lost consciousness because of the lack of oxygen. Your pulse rate was down to almost zero. Those are called rescue breathes. Now, I'm going to take you back to my office so that we can warm you up."

_Rescue breaths? _Something tugged at my memory. _Flash back to six years ago. Our district was blanketed by snow. A patient lay on my mother's table. I had just walked in from the store, to see my mom kissing a man. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen. My father had been dead for 5 years. Prim saved the day, "Katniss, it's called giving rescue breaths, supplying air for the patient because he can't do it himself."_ But I still felt irrationally angry.

"I know what it is, Mr. Odair. Stop treating me as if I'm a child!"

"Katniss, Katniss, you're going into shock, its normal. Especially when the first face you see when you regain consciousness is as handsome as mine. Now, please come with me, I have to make sure you're not hypothermic."

Understanding then, I take his offered hand. I feel the stares, the jealousy of the other girls. I really have no interest in guys, but it would be nice to have another friend, as I'm not exactly Miss Popular.

I obviously have Johanna – brazen, foul-mouthed, energetic, short tempered, yet somehow loveable Johanna. She's hard to deal with at times, but she keeps me sane and her sexual escapades with her sweet-as-sugar boyfriend, Peeta always provide humorously awkward breakfast conversations.

And of course there's my best friend Gale, who is always there to be my strength. Ever since my father died 8 years ago, he's been by my side, quietly reminding me to go on, to not check out as my mother did when we were so young, to be there for my sister.

Speaking of my sister, I may have forgotten to mention that she is the most precious person in my world. I would do absolutely anything for little Prim. When our mom checked out, turned into a shell of a human being, Prim and I were left to fend for ourselves. Mom's gotten better since then, and now Prim lives with her just the two of them, but while Mom was gone, it was just Prim and I against the world. Me and my little duck…

I followed the bronze-haired boy with the brilliant smile into a small office. Nothing spectacular, just a square room with sea-blue wallpaper, an oak-wood desk, a chair on wheels, a large leather couch, a big set of cupboards, and a microwave. Not enough to keep my eyes of the chiseled physique of the half-naked man beside me.

Sitting me down on the coach, he crossed the room to the cupboards, where he looked back at me. _Damn, he caught me staring. _

Smiling at me he asked "Coffee or cocoa? Oh! I also have tea."

Blushing, I replied, "I'll take tea, please."

He took a water bottle, poured the contents into the cup, and put it in the microwave, which he set for two minutes.

Grabbing a towel, and a bag from behind his desk, he threw the towel to me.

"Here, use it to dry yourself off. In there are some sweatpants, and a shirt of mine. Please change out of your wet stuff. Cotton kills."

I stared at him, unsure if it was alright to do so. He nodded at me, and the shivering won. He turned around and I stood up. Using the towel to cover myself, I stripped out of my wet clothes, and put on his sweats and t-shirt. _I was just naked in the same room as Finnick Odair…_ I handed the towel back to him, saying, "You're wet too."

He turned, muttered a thank you, and hastily dried himself off. An obnoxious beeping alerts him that the water had finished warming. Hastily, he took it out, opened a tea packet, and put the bag in. Finnick Odair placed the cup in my hands along with a metal spoon.

Crossing once again to the cupboards, he pulled out a small metal tin. Inside were several little white squares.

"Do you want a sugar cube?"

"A what?"

"A sugar cube. They're good in the tea, but I love the way the melt on my tongue when I eat them straight." Finnick's green eyes laughed as he said this.

_Straight sugar? What is he, five?_ I opened my mouth to reply, but before I was totally aware of what was happening, he popped one in my mouth, and two more into my tea. _He was right; they do melt on your tongue._ I know I must've been blushing furiously, but I tried to keep a straight face, and stirred my tea as the sugar cube dissolved.


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, it doesn't look like you're hypothermic, so Miss Everdeen, it would seem you're going to be ok." Finnick stood and took my cup from me so he could toss it in the trash. Our hands brushed and he held them there for just a second too long for a comfortable teacher-student relationship.

I blushed. "Why thank you, _doctor_ Odair. I feel so much better now that I've received your excellent diagnosis." I started for the door, but a strong hand gripped my arm, effectively stopping me.

"There is one thing, Miss Everdeen," Finnick smiled, "I can't help but notice that you look a bit…underfed. Perhaps I can remedy that. Let me make you dinner tomorrow night?"

I was stunned. _Finnick Odair is asking me out!_ Or was he? Only one way to find out! "Well, if it's the _doctor's_ orders…" I stopped. During my response I'd turned to face Finnick and found he was much closer than I'd expected – we were practically nose to nose.

Finnick swallowed. "So…is that a yes?"

I think I nodded, but I don't know for sure as I was too busy staring into his emerald eyes.

"Look, Katniss…I don't want to make things weird. I mean, you're my student after all, but I can't help but feel like we have some sort of…connection…and I would like to explore that, but if that's too weird for you—"

"It's not too weird." _Did I just say that?_

Wrinkles formed around Finnick's eyes when he smiled, and their look changed from cautious and hopeful to dark and lusty. My own eyes dropped down to his lips, which were now only a few inches from mine. _Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me._

He didn't kiss me, not directly anyway. No, he pressed his three middle fingers to his lips and then placed them gently on mine.

"This'll be our little secret." He winked. I swooned. "Laters, baby." And with that, he walked past me and back outside.

_What the hell just happened?_

Apparently Johanna had the same question, because the second I was out the door, she ambushed me.

"Bitch, where have you _been_!? I've been looking everywhere for ya, and I called your phone I don't know how many times! You'd better have a pretty fucking good excuse for why you weren't here."

_Our little secret_ Finnick had said. That must mean no telling Johanna. Unsure of what was off limits as far as explanation was concerned, I settled for a half-truth.

"I…uh…I forgot my swimsuit, so I was gonna go grab it, but then I slipped and fell in the pool."

Johanna stared at me for a second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Then she broke out laughing. "Oh yeah," she hollered so loud that everyone near the pool turned to look at us, "of course you would fall into the pool. That explains why you're wearing different clothes. Where'd you get them, anyway?"

I panicked for a moment. "Uhm…lost and found. The school nurse found them for me – they were the only things that fit." I scanned the staring crowd briefly until I caught Finnick's eye. He gave me a slight nod and a wink that turned my insides into silly putty.

"Oh ew, you're seriously wearing some loser's old reject clothing?" Johanna plugged her nose in faux disgust. _Oh, if you only knew…_ "Don't worry, ma soeur, we'll get ya fixed up and back in some decent, fitting clothes as soon as we get back to the dorms. Unless of course, you like the scruffy guy look, in which case we can swing by Peeta and Gale's room and pick you up something of theirs."

I forced out a laugh, though inside I was dreading having to change clothes. Finnick's old sweats and t-shirt made me feel secure. Other clothes, whether mine, Peeta's, or Gale's, just wouldn't be the same.

Johanna rushed up the stairs two at a time, but I took them slowly and carefully, being sure not to trip even though my mind was occupied by far more pressing matters, such as this afternoon's swim class.

More than once, Finnick had come over to tell me what I was doing wrong, paying extra attention to the way I moved my arms or my floating posture and taking every possible opportunity to touch my exposed skin. One of the other girls in our swim class – I think her name was Rue? – had graciously lent me a spare bikini, which clung to my body so tightly it was uncomfortable both physically and mentally. But Finnick seemed to be enjoying it when he'd run his fingers up and down the flimsy straps under the water when he was sure no one was looking.

I was so distracted by the memory of Finnick's hands that I didn't notice Peeta until I ran into him.

"Oh! Sorry Peeta, I didn't see you there." I blushed at my clumsiness.

Peeta smiled good-naturedly. "It's alright, Katniss. Johanna just did the same thing. Actually, she _rammed_ into me. It's amazing a person so small can hit so hard."

I laughed. Johanna was very small – I'm sorry, petite (she'd kill me if I called her small) – but she was build like a brick. It _hurt_ when she ran into you.

"I'm sure she didn't mean any harm."

Peeta shook his head distractedly. "So," he smiled, "Katniss…a few of us are having a party tomorrow night, and I know Jo can't go, but I was thinking maybe you and I still could…"

"I actually have plans that I sort of can't get out of. I'm sorry, Peet…"

I was sorry that I was abandoning Peeta. He was the first friend I'd made when I came to Panem University, and he meant the world to me. But if not hanging out with him meant getting to spend an evening with my super-model swim teacher, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

He shrugged. "It's all good. Maybe some other time. I would really like us to hang out sometime. Just you and me." Peeta took a step closer and took my hand. _Weird…but ok, I guess_. "I miss hanging out just to two of us."

My hand gave his a friendly squeeze. "Me too. We'll get together soon, I promise."

Something flashed through Peeta's eyes. It looked a lot like the look I'd seen in Finnick's earlier. _Nah, that can't be. Peeta's just a friend. Besides, he's got Johanna._

"I'm counting on it." The tone in Peeta's voice was slightly lower than usual. Smiling, he released my hand and headed down the stairs, shouting, "bye, Katniss!"

"See ya, Peeta."

He laughed. That was a running joke between the two of us, because the first time I'd said it we'd been preparing to leave our first college party (totally wasted, by the way) and had ended up cracking up for about half an hour just because it rhymed.

As I pulled my room key out of my pocket, I couldn't help but think about what tomorrow night would be like. Alone with Finnick Odair… Not-very-clean thoughts began to drift through my head and I felt my face getting hot. _I need to sit down before I start hyperventilating. What is he doing to me?_


	4. Chapter 4

I can't help but have a ridiculous smile plastered across my face as I walk into the dorm. _I have a date…with Finnick Odair. _I want to start dancing. The beautiful specimen of a man who saved me, wants me to go over to his apartment, and have dinner. _His apartment…_I frown. It seems rather forward for a first date, but then again, from what I've heard of Finnick, he gets around.

I hum to myself as I make my way to the showers, clutching my best shampoo, conditioner, and towel. It seems a shame to wash Finnick's smell off me, but I also smell like a pool filled with chlorine.

My hair wrapped in a towel, and clad in a robe, I made my way back to the dorm to find my roommate, Johanna, sitting on my bed, and thumbing through a catalog. _Shit…here comes the interrogation._

"So what are you getting all fancied up for?" She asked as she watched me take out my best pair of jeans, and a light green loose short sleeved top with ruffles on the sleeves.

I blush. _Our little secret…_Finnick's words still lingering in my mind, I reply with a question of my own. "Why aren't you going to the part with Peeta tonight?"

I glance up from the buttons on my top just long enough to see her look away.

"I don't know…I just…can't. I'm sorry to wonder if he even likes me anymore.

"Johanna, what happened?"

"Well he's all Katniss this, Katniss that. I know you're his best friend. I don't blame you, but lately it's worse. We haven't even had sex in a couple days…"

She looks off with a dreamy expression on her face, and then says "I miss his body. Katniss, I don't know how you live without sex for so long."

I flush at her brazen manner, and return to my top-buttoning once again. _It's been so long…Maybe with Finnick…_

Twisting my hair back into its usual braid, I set about doing my make-up. Suddenly I notice Johanna still watching me.

"You never answered my question. Why are you putting on make-up? Don't say 'just because' or 'your job' because I know it's neither. You hate make-up, and your job hardly ever goes at night, except for when your boss makes you do over-time.

I bite my lip, pausing as I put on a light layer of mascara. I can't duck her question. I hardly ever put on any amount of make-up. Why use fifteen minutes making yourself someone you're not when you could be study? Or sleeping?

"I have some plans that I want to look nice for." I say, praying that she accepts this and doesn't question me further. But this is Johanna Mason we're talking about.

"Ohhhh, what plans? Tell me, tell me, who's the new boy-toy?"

I turn around to find her grinning, still on my bed. I give her my best glare, but she only winks at me. Sighing I turn around, she's hopeless. _Finnick's fingers on my lips…_

"No one you know. No one I know, actually." I say, trying to keep myself from humming as I think once again of the gorgeous man who played with the flimsy straps of Rue's swimsuit, at who's apartment I will be having dinner tonight.

"A blind date huh? Good luck!" She snorts with laughter, as I grab my purse and keys and walk to the door.

"See ya bitch! Have fun!" Her shouted farewell makes me turn, she winks at me grinning.

"Bye." I mumble as I close the door. _If only she knew… _I smile slightly. That would be an interrogation and a half. The look on her face if she knew it was Finnick Odair, the gorgeous, bronze-haired Olympian, who says he feels he has a connection with me…

Grinning like a fool to myself, I hurry to the parking lot, and my trusted car. So many people make fun of it, because it's so old. But she's trust-worthy. I named her Bertha.

Pulling out of the school parking lot, I head over to SaveMart. I buy a bottle of sparkling cider, because I'm not 21 yet, and as I'm going back out to my car, I run into the last person I want to see. Peeta.

"Katniss! What are you doing here?" His voice sounds unusually bright. For some reason, I'm instantly angry.

"I'm buying cider, Peeta. I thought you had a party to go to." I snarl. I should feel bad, but right now, I just feel anger towards him.

"I'm just getting supplies." His tone is shocked, and hurt. Then I see something change in his eyes. He's angry now. "I thought you had plans."

"I do" I growl. I want to get away from him, and to Finnick's apartment.

"Katniss, are you sure you don't want to come to the party with me? Please? It'll be fun. You and I can hang out if you don't want to talk with anyone else.

I sigh. "Peeta. I've said it before but I'll say it one more time. I HAVE PLANS."

"Fine. Alright, Katniss. See you later." Finally he gets it.

"See you." I mumble, barely able to maintain even that courtesy.

I walk away, biting back a growl of annoyance when I see that Peeta has made me late.


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N. Hey guys, Jenebra here. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your awesome reviews. It warms my and Drowning Embers' hearts every time we get a new review or follow. I know you want to get to the story already, but I just want to warn you that this chapter is longer than others! And be prepared to do some serious fangirling – it's gonna get intense. I love you all! We also posted two chapters in one day. This will not be a regular occurence**

I was late. Freaking Peeta had made me late. I made a mental note to beat the living shit out of him later. For now though, it was Finnick time.

The front door to his apartment was deep blue with a golden number 4 on the front. I knocked shyly and straightened my shirt as I waited for the door to open.

When it finally opened, though, I was not prepared in the least.

Finnick had never looked so completely edible. His hair was all messed up and his simple white button up was unbuttoned maybe 3 buttons more than would be socially acceptable. Not that I cared – I could stare at his gorgeous bare chest all day long.

"Katniss?"

My eyes shot from his chest to his face as I realized I'd been staring. I smiled weakly.

"Uhm…hi. I brought some…uh…wine. Actually, I don't turn 21 for about two more months so the best the saleswoman at SaveMart would let me buy was sparkling cider, but she assured me it was the best around so I'm thinking she was right. Also, I didn't really know what you had planned so I hope I dressed alright. I wasn't sure if I should wear jeans or a dress or if you were expecting something super casual like sweats or something. Speaking of sweats I still have yours – you know, the ones you lent me yesterday after I fell in the pool and got all wet and you saved me from drowning and –"

Finnick cut me off with a laughing, "Katniss!"

I shut my mouth. He smiled.

"One thing at a time, alright? First, thank you for the cider, it's lovely, and I would never dream of making you break the law and purchase alcohol just for a dinner with little ol' me. Second, what you're wearing is absolutely perfect. You look beautiful." He raised his hand and ran the ruffled sleeves of my top through his index and middle finger. "And keep the sweatpants. They look better on you anyway."

He took a step closer. I couldn't breathe.

"Now will you please come inside so we can eat the wonderful meal I've made for us? Or would you rather stand in the doorway all evening."

"Inside," I murmured.

"Good."

His hand descended my arm and our fingers twisted together as he pulled me into the apartment. Trying to focus on anything but the delightful pressure of his fingers on mine, I turned my head to take in my surroundings.

The apartment was one big white room that seemed to be divided up into four corners. The far left corner held a free-standing bath/shower with a simple blue curtain around it and a sink with a toothbrush balanced on the rim. Another corner held a small couch and an old antenna television with a lot of wires sticking out of it and a black cabinet that I assumed held DVD's or something. A white refrigerator sat next to a rusty-looking black stove and a wooden table set for two in the opposite corner. But what I focused on was the fourth corner, where a giant king-sized bed with green and blue sheets stood next to a chest of drawers. There was a part of me that wanted to just push Finnick down onto that bed right then, but I didn't want to assume anything. After all, he'd yet to say outright that this was a date. _God, I hope this is a date._

Finnick broke me out of my thoughts. "Music?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded. He walked to the black cabinet and within seconds, Frank Sinatra was drifting through the speakers.

"So," I said, clasping my hands together and attempting to get a grip on my emotions, "where's that fantastic dinner you were bragging about."

"In the kitchen. Right this way." He made a large sweeping gesture with his hands as though the barely-there kitchen/corner was some high-end establishment. I laughed.

"Why thank you, kind sir." I took a seat at the table and waited as he pulled a pot off the stove and began spooning the food into two bowls. Once he was satisfied, he popped the lid off of the apple cider I'd brought and poured it into two champagne glasses.

When he finally set the bowl down in front of me, I couldn't contain my laughter. "Macaroni and Cheese?"

Finnick smiled. "It's Kraft – you know, the good stuff."

"I didn't know I was in the presence of such a master chef."

"You would be amazed at how well I can boil water, baby."

"Haha! Well, this is a step up from what I was prepared for. I was thinking you would be serving take and bake pizza or something."

"Don't joke – so long as it's heated at home, it's homemade in my book."

"You're so weird."

Finnick gave me a cheeky smile and then we dug in, all the while chatting about school and family. I learned that he was actually Gale's girlfriend Annie's brother and that he hadn't even learned to swim until about two years before his Olympics. I told him about Prim and my nursing aspirations and my unfortunate situation with my parents. Normally I wouldn't be talking so openly on a first date, but for some reason, Finnick makes me feel very safe. Not to mention that when I talk, he actually listens.

Once the entire pot of Mac&Cheese had been consumed, Finnick took our plates and put them in the sink before setting the timer on the oven to fifteen minutes. I looked at him questioningly.

"Another thing I'm great at – slice and bake cookies." He smiled his Finnick Odair I'm-sexy-and-I-know-it smile.

I laughed nervously. Yes, dinner had been great, but without the food, I was suddenly unsure of what I should be doing.

Finnick walked slowly towards me and held out his hand.

"Would you like to dance?"

_Hell yes._ I nodded and placed my hand in his. Before I knew it, we were spinning together in the middle of the room, his hands wrapped lightly around my waist and mine around his neck. Finnick was a surprisingly good dancer – _is there anything he isn't good at?_ – which was nice, considering grace wasn't exactly my strong suit.

After a few minutes of silence between us, I decided to finally ask the question that had been running through my head all night.

"Why did you ask me to come here, Finnick?"

He looks at me for a moment before answering. "Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Because you're smart. Because you're brave. Because you can't swim for shit and I think that's absolutely adorable. And finally, because when I saw you start drowning the other day, it was like my heart had stopped beating, and I'd never even spoken to you." He pulls me closer. "I don't want to "go out" with you or be a random one night stand. I want to court you, and take things nice and slow, because I don't want to do anything that might mess up my chances with you. So even though I'm dying to throw you on the couch and kiss you senseless right now, I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to walk you back to your dorm, because it's getting dark out and I don't want you wandering the city by yourself."

I was gaping at him as he took my right hand in his left and tugged me out the door. We chatted lightly on the walk to my room about the weather and grass and such. When we finally arrived back at my dorm, he rubbed his thumb gently over my knuckles before planting a brief kiss on my hand.

"I'll see you at swimming tomorrow." He winked. "Be sure to wear something sexy."

And then he was gone.

I fell back against the door, clutching the hand he'd kissed to my chest in an attempt to hold on to the memory of his perfect lips on my skin. Tonight had been more than perfect. I couldn't remember ever being happier than I was just then. And it was all because of Finnick.


	6. Chapter 6

"Guess who remembered her swimsuit today!"

Johanna laughed as I pulled the dark green one piece out of my bag. She pulled some of the elastic-y fabric between her fingers.

"Are you sure that's something you should be proud of? Seriously, that swimsuit looks like it came out of the 1500's."

I shook my head. "Laugh all you want, but the first swimsuit wasn't even invented until 1913, so ha!"

She rolled her eyes. "What's with all the swimming trivia today?"

Confession: I couldn't stop thinking about Finnick when I got home last night. After he left, I'd logged on to my laptop and checked out Google for facts about swimming in hopes of being able to impress him next time we saw each other.

"Oh you know, just trying to stay informed. Sorry if it was annoying you."

She laughed. "Whatever, dork. Get dressed, class starts in two minutes."

I yanked my shirt over my head and stripped out of my pants. Humming to myself, I pulled off my bra and panties and began to throw my clothes into my locker when the door opened.

"Katniss?" It was Finnick. _Oh, shit!_ I grabbed a towel and held it up in front of me.

"Oh Katniss, there you are, I wasn't sure where…" His gaze drifted downward, taking in my towel and bare legs. "I'm sorry…I didn't know you were…er…weren't…dressed. I can just go –"

I cut him off with a quiet "no". In a sudden moment of brazenness, I dropped the towel. Finnick covered his eyes.

"Katniss, I told you last night…I want to take things slow, remember?"

Moving of their own accord, my feet walked towards him. I stretched my arms up and removed his hands from his eyes, forcing him to look down at me. He gulped.

"Katniss…slow…I…"

_It's now or never…_

"I want you, Finnick."

He looked torn. There were a few moments of silence, during which I began to question what I'd been thinking when I'd de-robed myself in front of him.

Finally, he breathed, "I want you, too."

The next few seconds seemed to go by in slow motion. His hands cupped my face and he leaned in close and…

_WHACK!_ "WAKE UP BITCH!"

I jolted upright in bed, the impact of Johanna's pillow on my face startling me out of my sleep.

"What the hell, Jo?" I shouted at her.

She whacked the back of my head with the pillow. "I've been trying to wake you up for ten minutes! We're going to be late to swim lessons if you don't get your ass out of bed NOW!" Another whack for emphasis.

"I'm up, I'm up! You can put that thing down!"

Johanna made to hit me again, but I caught it this time and sent it back in her direction. "That's enough of the 'let's hit Katniss with a pillow' game."

She laughed and threw my swimsuit and a pair of denim shorts at me. I ran the purple suit through my hands and remembered my dream. _Hmmm…I wonder if that will ever actually happen…_

Within minutes I was dressed and ready for the pool. We headed out and started for my car when I remembered.

_Shit! My car's still at Finnick's apartment!_ Though well meant, his walking me home was about to cause problems with Johanna.

I grabbed her arm. "Jo, why don't we walk today? It's not that far."

She gave me a weird look. "Walk? Dude, you hate walking to class."

In an attempt to avoid the question, I opted for a distraction technique.

"Are you some sort of California surfer guy now? _Dude!_ Hey, _dude_. What up, _dude_?" I set off in the direction of the pool, continuing to tease her about her choice of language.

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Shut up, bitch, or I'll start calling you _dude_ all the time."

I continued teasing her until we were both laughing like crazy. By the time we were done, the pool was in sight, and Johanna began to pick up the pace.

"I wonder what _Mr. Odair_ is wearing today. I hope it's something green…that color really brings out his eyes." She paused, and I couldn't help the little twinge of jealousy I felt when she said his name. _He's mine, Jo._

"Hey," she said, "if things don't work out with Peeta, do you think Finnick would go for me? I mean, he's only a few years older. And he's so fucking sexy." She licked her lips.

I was torn between my desire to hang on to what was mine – sort of – and my desire to be a good friend. In the end, I decided to take the friend approach.

"I'm sure he would be all over you. There isn't a guy on this campus who _wouldn't_ want a piece of that action."

Johanna smiled. "You're alright, bitch. I think I'll keep ya. Even if you do make fun of my word choice."

As I walked towards the locker room, I caught Finnick's eye. He smiled at me and mouthed, "hi". I couldn't help my blush as I smiled back at him, the memory of my dream fresh in my mind.

_How on earth am I going to get through this class…_


	7. Chapter 7

There I sat, in one of my favorite classes, wound care, not paying attention at all. While the teacher rambled on about cleaning the wound, and potential infection, I thought of how Finnick Odair had infected me. His smile, his brilliant eyes, godlike figure, and his sexy/sweet personality had left me gazing dreamily off into space. And he was mine. I mean, I loved Johanna, but he was mine.

_There I had sat, in my purple bathing suit, legs dangling over the edge, staring at the water, wishing my dream had been real life…but I'd settle for a premonition as second best. Before I knew it, someone had grabbed my legs and yanked, pulling me into the slightly-warmer-than-yesterday water. It had been Finnick, and as he pulled me up out of the water, he had leaned in to whisper in my slightly water-logged ear, "You look adorable in that swimsuit."_

"Katniss Everdeen! Are you with us?!" I jumped at the sound of my teachers voice…shit…he'd asked me something.

"Yes Professor Fink." I said, praying he wouldn't ask me what had just happened.

"Good. Now can you tell me the best way to deal with uncontrollable bleeding in the field?"

Shit. "Uh…cut off the circulation?"

"Well that's something." He says as the class snickers. My face burns with embarrassment. Damn Finnick and his attractive body.

"Now Ms. Everdeen, can you tell us how exactly you would do such a thing?"

"Um. I would put a tourniquet on just above the affected area, and check it every 20 minutes to see if the bleeding has stopped."

"Very good, Ms. Everdeen."

Whew. Talk about barely escaping humiliation.

Damnit Finnick…

The rest of the lecture period passed without problem. However, at the end of class, just when Finnick had promised to meet me for lunch, my teacher, called as I am walking out the door, "I want to see you in my office for a moment, Miss. Everdeen.

I feel my face flush with embarrassment as, for the second time in one period, the whole class stared at me, some of them laughing at what I assumed was a helpless expression.

Slowly I gather my things and slowly walk towards my teacher's office, which was just to the side of the classroom.

As I enter his office, he looks at me sternly, then gestures to the chair in front of his desk. I sit, and he leans forward on the desk, peering at me. Shit, I was in trouble…

"Ms. Everdeen, for the past week, you have not been paying attention in class. Especially for the past couple days, has something happened in your personal life that I should be aware of?"

"No, Proffesor."

"Good. Then I expect you to pay attention in class, if you would do me that honor. You're an excellent student, but your last quiz was less than satisfactory."

He pulls out a paper, and slides it across the table towards me. An F. I had been expecting it from how I felt taking that quiz, but seeing the paper bleeding red ink made my stomach clench.

"Please, professor, I don't know what happened, I studied for this."

"May I remind you, Ms. Everdeen, that this is not the first time you've told me that upon seeing your grade? I am well aware that this is a challenging class, but Ms. Everdeen, if you're going to practice medicine, you have to know this. You can't look something up in a text book while your patient is coding, while there heart is stopping. You need at least a B to graduate this class Ms. Everdeen. At least. Right now you have a C-. Your grades were good at the beginning of the year, but lately they've gone down. You need to get these up. The material is just memorization. I suggest flashcards."

The bottom of my stomach falls away, shit. I knew that my grade had gone down, but I wasn't aware that it was that bad, and there wasn't very much time until midterms.

"Thank you for telling me professor, I will take your suggestion." As I say this I surreptitiously check my watch. 20 minutes since I've been out of class. 17 since the time I said I would meet Finnick. I imagine him waiting. _Shit._

"Don't get me wrong, Ms. Everdeen, you are a great student, and I just want to help you do well. If you don't feel comfortable asking me for help with the material, then ask a classmate. There's always something you can do. I will see you in class tomorrow."

Clearly, I am finally being dismissed. I nod, and thank my wound care professor once more before ducking out of his office and run headlong toward the bench where I promised Finnick I'd meet him.

I find only a stranded textbook on the bench.

Damnit. He must have had to go. I check my watch, no. I'm twenty-five minutes late. Twenty five minutes. That was much longer than two minutes late Peeta had made me for our last date. _What if he thinks I'm blowing him off? Or that don't want to date him?_

Turning quickly, I run inside the nearest building, and ask the first person I see, a tall, pretty brunette with bluish-grey eyes, "Was there a tall, bronze haired guy waiting on the bench?"

With a slight look of confusion, the girl answers, "Yes. He was there for around twenty minutes, waiting for someone. Damn, he was hot though. Do you know if he's single?"

He's mine, I think to myself. Thanking her, I run out of the building. He was here. He was here for 20 minutes. He waited for me. For me.

I want to cry as I imagine him waiting, then getting up and leaving. Instead, I pull out my phone and text what has quickly become my favorite contact. "Hey, I just got out of a meeting with my professor…he wanted to see me in his office. Give me a call."

I sigh. There's nothing else I can do for now. It's up to him to answer me, but damn I hate waiting.

The rest of the day passes with no more bad news and no news from Finnick. Dread creeps into my mind as I imagine again what he must've thought when I didn't show up.

I am so preoccupied by these thoughts, that after dinner, as I am heading back to the dorm room, I trip down a bunch of stairs.

"Fuck. Ow, my gluteus maximus." I wince. That hurt. My books are spilled all over, and I feel bruises forming.

"Katniss! Are you alright?"

I know that voice.

"Fuck." I mutter. Unfortunately, the owner of voice takes the expletive as an expression of continued pain.

Before I know it, a strong hand takes mine, and pulls me to my feet.

"Are you alright?" Peeta asks again as he gathers my books.

I stare at him. I cannot deal with him right now. Not when I didn't show up for meeting Finnick, not when he hasn't answered my multiple texts.

"I'm fine, Peeta."

He hands me my newly piled books, and says, "Are you sure? I could take you to get some ice from the nurse or something."

"No." I say shortly, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. "I'm just going to my dorm, Peeta, I can walk by myself."

I see the disappointment in his eyes, but instead of commenting, take my books and walk away.

"See you around, Katniss!" He calls after me.

I wave, not even bothering to turn around.

I open my dorm to find it empty, as Johanna still has around 20 minutes until her last class gets out. Taking out my phone, I dial Finnick's number. It rings three times then goes straight to his voice mail.

"Hey, Finnick, It's Katniss. Can we meet up tomorrow? Give me a call. Bye."

When Johanna arrives fifteen minutes later she finds my lying on my bed, fully clothed, and staring up at the ceiling, clutching my phone.

The rest of the night passes with no word from Finnick, resulting in my getting very little sleep.

Tomorrow, I'll track him down, and talk to him.

He's mine.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, Jenebra here! I'm sorry there hasn't been an update for the past few days - I went through several drafts of this chapter to make sure it was perfect for y'all. Prepare for serious fan-girling, and thank you to everyone who's reviewed. If you have any ideas for what we can do in later chapters, send us a PM or write it down in a review - I can't promise anything, but we will probably use it at some time in the near future. Thanks again for all of the love and support!**

Twenty-seven.

That was the number of times I'd tried calling Finnick. That was the number of times he hadn't answered. That was the number of times my heart had broken.

Finally, I decided that I just couldn't take it anymore. I was going to go see him whether he liked it or not.

I jumped into my car and sped off towards his apartment, rage racing through my veins. He was going to talk to me. He had to.

The closer I got, the less sure I became. A million questions formed in my brain. _What am I going to say? What if he never wants to see me again?_ And worst of all, _what if he's moved on to someone else?_

By the time I was knocking on his door, I was ready to make a run for it. But I was too late.

The door swung open, revealing a very shocked Finnick dressed in a towel. There was a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and his hair was obviously not brushed.

"Katniss," he breathed around the toothbrush. "What are you doing here?"

I choked on my words. _Breathe, Katniss. Breathe._ "I…you…you weren't there when I was late to our lunch date. You wouldn't answer my calls. I didn't know what to do. Don't be mad at me Finnick, please."

"Katniss –"

"I didn't mean to be late. My teacher held me in and if I'd had any say in the matter I would've been there for you but I didn't know what to do and I was worried and I called 27 times and you didn't pick up once and I've been so worried and please don't let this ruin what we have Finnick, I couldn't live with myself if you did that because the truth is I really, _really_ like you and I don't want this to be the end so please Finnick, please, just give me another chance, I promise I'll –"

His mouth was on mine; his hands tangled in my hair and pulled my face closer to his. It was slow and sweet and full of unspoken words. But I was so stunned that I missed all of it. The only thing I could focus on is that Finnick Odair was kissing me.

He pulled back before I could reciprocate. "You talk way too much." He smiled. "And I'm not mad. My phone fell into the pool the other day and I haven't had a chance to go get a new one. To tell the truth, I'd been worried sick that by not showing up you were ending things with me. And now that you're here…I'm just so, _so_ happy."

I took a minute to recover, staring into his eyes and processing what was just said. After a few moments, I finally collected myself.

"So…what happened to taking things slow and courting me and all that jazz?"

Finnick laughed. "You mean the kiss? That's something I've wanted to do for a while now. Besides, I it was the only way I could think of to shut you up."

I bit my lip in a way that I hoped was flirtatious and seductive. "Does that mean I need to start talking uncontrollably to get you to do that again?"

Laughter once again bubbled up from inside Finnick, and before I knew it he'd pulled me into his arms and smashed his lips against my own. Dragging me further into the apartment, he kicked the door shut before pushing me into a sitting position on the couch. His tongue traced my bottom lip and I opened my mouth. Our tongues met and I became overwhelmed by him – the taste, the feel, the smell. Oh god the smell – sea-salt and apple-scented shampoo. It invaded my senses until I was delirious. These kisses were swiftly becoming less slow and sweet and more hot and needy.

As I pushed myself closer and closer to him, I couldn't help but notice a certain part of his anatomy that had come to attention under his towel. _I want to feel that better…_ Impatience took over me and I swung my leg over his in an attempt to straddle him, but before my knee touched down on the couch, Finnick grabbed it and pushed it back to its original side before scooting away from me and standing up.

"Katniss," he whispered, "you can't do that. You have no idea…the effect you can have…if you ever try to do something like that again, I might lose the little self-control I have whenever I'm around you. And…and I was serious when I said I want to take this slow. I want you to fall in love with me, not in lust. I want this…whatever this is…to last a long time. So please, just be patient."

I nodded slowly. "Finnick, I'm afraid it's too late for that. I've already fallen in lust with you – every time I see you, all I want to do is rip off whatever clothes you're wearing and ride –"

"Katniss!" Finnick cuts me off. "I just told you I had a hard time with self-control, and what you're saying isn't helping any."

I frown and look at the floor.

Finnick kneels before me. "Look, I just want to be careful with us. This…relationship...is new and fragile and I don't want to ruin it with casual sex. So how about you go back to your dorm, and I'll see you tomorrow morning at swimming? I'd offer to take you myself, but as you can see I'm not exactly decent and since you've arrived I've acquired a bit of a…situation."

"Finnick?"

He smiled at me. "Yes, Katniss?"

"You said…er…called this a _relationship_. What exactly are we?" I didn't really know what kind of answer I was hoping for, but I did want to know.

Finnick considered it for a moment. "Would you be opposed to the boyfriend-girlfriend monikers?"

I stopped breathing. _Did THE Finnick Odair just ask me to be his girlfriend?_ I shook my head. "No, I wouldn't be opposed to that."

And earth-shattering grin spread across Finnick's face. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He kissed me again, but pushed me out the door when I tried to deepen it.

"I'll see you in the morning, Katniss." He kissed me softly.

"Goodnight, Finnick."


	9. Chapter 9

Finnick…his name repeated over and over in my head as I walked the length of my room, about 5 steps, then turned back. Pacing. I'd been doing that for the better part of an hour._ Holy crap I have a boyfriend, and his name is Finnick Odair. And he wants to take it slow…I would've though the beautifully-built Olympian was the type to just love 'em and leave 'em._

I forced my legs to stop moving, and sat down cross-legged on my bed, pulling my laptop over to me. I needed to do homework, but images of Finnick in only a towel kept popping up in my head. _The way his lips felt on mine, my blood was on fire…_

After struggling through a draft of an essay, a practice test for trauma, several slightly overdue math assignments, and taking a triage simulation online, I collapsed backwards. My head had barely touched the pillow before I was sent into dreamland.

I was awakened by the ping of my inbox demanding attention. One unread email from…Finnick Odair. Ignoring the burst of heat the flashed through my body, I forced myself to be calm. Opening the email, I slowly read it through.

"Dear Katniss Everdeen, in light of your incapability to swim, we need to confer on how best to proceed. Please meet me tomorrow evening at six, in my office. Sincerely, Finnick Odair." In his office once again, hmmmm. _That has possibilities…_

I fell asleep thinking about the "teacher-student conference."

The next day dragged by as I waited for six o'clock to come around. Sitting through math class was even harder than normal, but I managed not to be caught day-dreaming. The minute my last class was dismissed, I ran out the door and raced, barely holding onto my stuff, to the gymnasium.

Leaving my things on the bench outside his office, I saw that his blinds were drawn. Slightly apprehensively, I knocked.

"Come in, Katniss." Heat flashed through my body at the sound of his voice. _What has this man done to me?_

I opened the door. He was sitting at his desk wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons undone and a pair of well-used jeans, much like he'd worn on our first date. Green eyes stared into mine as I stepped into the room that smelled like the sea-salt and apple-scented shampoo that I smelled on him the other day. He beckoned me closer with a finger, and I sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"So Katniss, if I may be frank, you can't swim for shit. Though it's adorable, you need to learn how to swim if you want to graduate. Now, I can see if Haymitch can find you another teacher to help you outside of class," He leaned forward, elbows on his desk, "Or I can tutor you several evenings a week. It would be late, so you have to consider homework. Your choice."

_Alone time with Finnick several times a week…mmm._

"I'll take you as a tutor, Finnick."

"Good, I was hoping you'd say that."

Something changed in his green eyes. Instead of the light humor that usually graced his eyes, there was something darker.

He stood up and I followed.

He made sure the blinds were shut and then his eyes were back on mine. _Oh._

He took two steps, then grabbed my hand and pulls me swiftly to him. I barely had time to gasp before his lips were on mine. His tongue slid over my lips and I didn't hesitate to part them, allowing him to explore my mouth as his hands wrapped around my waist. He pulled back, breathing hard, and put his hands on my shoulders.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he pushed me backwards. I wobbled, took a few steps backward, and the back of my legs hit his desk and I toppled backward onto it. He leaned over me and kissed me again, hard. Grabbing my hands he held them against the desk above my head. His tongue slipped once again into my mouth and I moaned softly.

That's when I heard the door open.

"What the hell?"

Finnick jumped off, and I sat up, tugging my shirt back down, but stopped when I saw Johanna.

"What the fuck are you doing to my roommate? And you, bitch, why didn't you tell me?!"

Johanna looked from Finnick, to me, then back to Finnick.

Finnick reached out and took my hand. "She's my girlfriend. She hasn't told you because I asked her to keep our relationship a secret. Besides, it only became official, yesterday."

I blushed furiously, as Johanna's eyes x-rayed Finnick and me.

"Johanna…it's the truth. It was only official yesterday. I would've told you…"

Johanna started laughing. Finnick and I looked at her and then at each other as she sat down in the chair and continued to laugh until tears ran down her face.

Several minutes go by before she hiccupped herself into silence.

"Fish boy and brainless." She chortled, almost talking to herself. "Never in a thousand years. C'mon brainless, I'm taking you back with me – Mr. Odair here is obviously a bad influence on you."

Then taking my hand she led me out the door, but I caught Finnick's last words.

"I'll see you tomorrow at seven Katniss. Wait by your dorm, I'll pick you up."

"I'll be there! Bye, Finnick!" I yelled back, hoping my voice would reach his ears before the doors closed.

"He got the message. Don't worry. Besides by the way you two were going at it, I don't think he'd miss tomorrow for the world." She snorted, "On a desk…Damn, brainless." She trailed off, and I grinned to myself, grabbed my stuff, and followed her back to our dorm.


	10. Chapter 10

**Jenebra here! Sorry for the delay, but this chapter needed to be perfect – you'll see why. Let's just say that if you don't like the more hot-and-heavy stuff, this probably isn't the chapter for you.**

This morning, the first thing I did was buy a new swimsuit.

Actually, I _should_ say that Johanna found me a new swimsuit and I paid for it. It was a flimsy little blue two piece with over-the-top padding in the chest area. It reminded me of the suit I'd borrowed from Rue, only with more skin showing.

"Jo, I can't show up in this!" I'd complained when she'd forced me into a Macy's dressing room with the scraps of blue fabric.

"Come on, brainless," she sighed, "you have to! This is Finnick Odair we are talking about – if you wanna be with him, you've gotta keep him interested. Besides, I know you wanna go farther than kissing – I can see it in your eyes. All you have to do now is show up in this, get real close, and whisper something sexy like 'I'm gonna do you like drugs tonight'. Hopefully he'll take it from there."

Now that I was sitting on my bed getting ready for my "lesson" with Finnick, I was beginning to regret listening to her.

A soft tinkling from my phone reminds me that I have only 10 minutes until Finnick arrives. It's now or never.

Cautiously, I slip into the blue bikini before quickly covering myself with a green tank-top and some jeans. As I pulled the jeans up my legs, I couldn't help but marvel at how smooth they were – Johanna had spent the past hour torturing me with wax and ripping every last hair from my body. My skin still stung, but I hoped the time with Finnick would make all the pain seem worthwhile.

The knock came about 5 minutes before 7.

"Just a minute!" I called. I threw my towel and the clothes I'd been wearing earlier into a hamper and straightened my bed before rushing to open the door.

"Hey there, Kat." Finnick's smile was as beautiful and gloriously cocky as ever.

"Finnick." _Keep calm. Keep calm. Keep calm._

"You ready?" He held out his hand, which I gladly took before closing the door and joining him on the walk downstairs and into his silver Jaguar.

"Nice car," I commented as I slid onto the leather seat.

"I figure if you're gonna take something everywhere with you, it'd better be the best." He turned and smiled cheekily at me. "For example, I'd take you anywhere."

Blushing furiously, I slapped him playfully on the arm and made some comment about being anxious to start swimming.

"I'm read to get into the water, too. I've got some big plans for our little lesson tonight." He chuckled as he put the car in drive and headed to the pool.

The water was black in the moonlight and Finnick hadn't bothered to turn on the bright safety lights, so the moon bounced off the little ripples caused by his body as he slid into the warmth of the pool.

Nervous as ever, I slid out of my street clothes and slid into the pool without meeting his eyes.

When I finally did look at him, his green orbs had gone black with lust.

"Uhm…" he struggled to find the words, "the most important thing to master before you learn to swim is how to float. So let's…uhm…work on that."

I nodded and moved until I was laying flat at the water's surface. The self-conscious side of me was all too aware that Finnick now had a perfect view of my barely-clad body. I closed my eyes and listened to the sound of him traveling toward me through the water.

He didn't say anything. Neither did I. Slowly he parted my legs and ran both hands up them until he was cradling my hips in his hands. His mouth came down and connected with my navel, his tongue dipping into my it. I moaned as the heat of his mouth shot an electric current through my body and straight downwards. His hands ran up my sides until his thumbs were just barely brushing my breasts, his mouth and tongue kissing, licking, and nipping their was across my stomach.

It was all too much, but at the same time, it wasn't nearly enough.

I dropped my legs until they were wrapped tightly around his waist under the water and my face was against his. Within moments, his mouth had claimed my own. I placed my hands over the ones he'd so carefully paced on my sides, pulling them around my body and placing them on my breasts. He eagerly squeezed, kneaded, and pinched my nipples with his expert hands.

I couldn't help but notice something very long and hard poking at the apex of my thighs. Somehow, the knowledge that I did that to him gave me a surge in confidence, and I began to experimentally grind down on the hardness. Finnick moaned into my mouth, his kisses ceasing as we both focused on the sensations traveling through our bodies.

Next thing I knew, the strings that had been holding my top in place were untied and the blue fabric was free-floating through the water. Finnick hoisted me up onto the side of the pool and gazed my breasts, which were now eye-level with him. He reached up and took one of my hardened nipples in his mouth, biting softly and eliciting a moan from me. When his mouth switched to my other breast, he started pulling himself out of the water, pushing me over until I was laying flat on my back with him on top of me.

More impatient than I'd ever been, I reached down and began to tug on the draw-string of Finnick's swim trunks and groaned exasperatedly when his hands pushed mine away.

"Katniss," he whispered, "you have no idea how much I want you right now. But I don't want this to be something you'll regret. The instant gratification of making love to you right now won't be worth it if you never speak to me again. So I need to know you're sure about this."

I nodded, too focused on the words "making love" to do much else. My brain flashed back to my first time, when Gale had gotten me drunk on hard lemonade before asking if he could "fuck me senseless." It was hard and painful and not at all like what a first time should be, but doing this with Finnick was all I wanted to do in this moment.

Finnick didn't move. "I want you to say it, Katniss."

I nodded again before mustering up enough air to say, "I want this, Finnick. I want you."

With that, his mouth was back on mine, and my fingers had resumed their removal of his shorts as his removed my own bottoms. When his erection sprung free and hit my now-exposed clit, I let out a wanton cry, not caring what passers-by might hear. His fingers began to work their magic and rub in my hyper-sensitive bundle of nerves in slow, methodical circles. After a few minutes, I pushed his hand away and wrapped mine around his impressive member.

"I need you now," I breathed, my desperation clear in my voice. He nodded frantically and kissed me passionately as he guided himself into me.

We let out a collective groan at the feeling of him inside of me, fitting so perfectly we could have been two pieces of some divine puzzle made exclusively for the purpose of creating mind-blowing orgasms.

His movements are slow at first, hesitant, but as I begin to raise my hips to meet his thrusts, he picks up speed. Soon his is pumping into me with wild abandonment, never slowing as something coils inside me as I clutch him harder, closer, digging my nails into the tanned skin of his back muscles as he tirelessly thrusts.

The coil gets tighter and tighter and tighter and I know even before it happens that when Finnick finally pushes me over the edge, it will be the most pleasurable thing I have ever experienced.

A few thrusts later and I'm screaming as my orgasm washes through me. Finnick covers my mouth with his own and holds me close as he waits for me to ride it out, never ceasing the snapping movement of his hips against mine. Soon he's finding his release and crying out my name.

He rolls over so that I'm now positioned on top of him, his arms around me and my head tucked into his chest as he places loving kisses in my hair.

"Katniss," he whispered, "that may have been the best thing that's ever happened to me."

I smile and nod but don't verbally respond, because I'm too consumed by the feeling of being so utterly complete that all I can do is snuggle closer and wish for this moment to never end.


	11. Chapter 11

Wearing a light blue sundress, I step out the classroom and into the radiant sun of the afternoon, where Finnick Odair was waiting. Unable to hold myself back, I run to him, throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him. His hands are on my waist, and we are alone. My hands tangle in his hair and he slowly backs me up, until I run into something. He bends me over his car, still kissing me deeply, and I wrap my sun-tanned legs around his waist. He groans and I can feel his arousal pressing against my center. Removing his lips from mine, he kisses my jaw, my neck, then brushes tracks of fire down my collar-bone and chest—

"KATNISS! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF BED, YOU"RE GONNA BE LATE!"

I wake with a start and sit up, and am immediately hit in the face with a pillow. Attempting to look serious, I glare at Johanna, who is already preparing to throw another. Seeing my disgruntled face, she doubles over laughing.

"You ruined a good dream!" I growl.

She jumps on to my bed next to me, eyes wide.

"Ooh, you and Finnick doing the dirty huh? No wonder you were upset that I woke you up!"

Putting on a blissful smile, she cries out "Oh, Finnick! Finnick!"

Then she looks back at me, a devilish glint in her eyes.

"Was I close?"

I snort and shove her away from me. She rolls all the way off the bed, cackling madly. She stands up, and then says,

"Weren't you supposed to meet him at his apartment at 12:30? Cause its twelve right now."

"Shit!" I exclaim, and jump off the bed.

Johanna eyes me as I rush around the room.

_Thank goodness I took a shower after last night…_

When she sees my hesitation in the face of my closet, she walks over to hers and takes out a cerulean blue sun-dress. I gape at her. _How did she know?!_

"Here, wear this." Then, seeing my expression, "What's that look for? I'm trying to help!"

"I know…but that's what I was wearing in my dream."

She snorts, "By the way you were moaning, I would've thought you weren't wearing anything in that dream of yours."

I glare at her, but take the dress and pull it on. She laughs again, and she looks so carefree at that moment, that I let her do my make-up. I leave my hair down, I want to know what Finnick thinks of it down, he's really only seen it up.

Several minutes later I am walking down to the parking-lot where my car is parked, when I spot Peeta out of the corner of my eye. He's walking quickly towards me, and when I glance in his direction, he breaks in to a run.

"Katniss! I want to talk to you!"

I ignore him, I don't have time for him right now, and Finnick is waiting for me. I quickly open my car door, slip inside, and leave him in the dust.

Following the directions in Finnick's spiraling handwriting, I find his apartment easily.

After checking in the mirror one last time, I take the key from my purse and stare at it. I've painted it a light green which reminds me of his eyes, so I won't forget which one it is.

_Kissing me one last time in front of my dorm, he presses a key into my palm, and whispers, "I want you to have this, Katniss. Meet me at my apartment tomorrow. "Are you sure?" I whispered. "Absolutely." He says, and then kisses me deeply one last time._

Gripping the key rather tightly, I walk up the stairs, find his apartment, and open the door. I expect him to be waiting for me, but his couch is empty. I listen, and then chuckle when I hear the shower running.

Creeping over to the curtain-surrounded shower, I pull aside the curtain to reveal a completely naked Finnick Odair. He has suds in his hair and one slides down his chest as he jumps and turns towards me.

"Katniss?!" He splutters.

I laugh. "I take it you weren't expecting me."

"I was! But this would be the first time I was hoping you would be late. I woke up at 12:15...But you can join me if you want."

Before I can respond, he pulls the curtain aside, and pulls me in, dropping my purse on the floor, I shriek, managing to keep my balance as the stream of water his my body.

"No fair!" I shout. _Johanna will be pissed about her dress…_

He laughs. We stand under the stream. I take off my shoes, and throw them out. Then, gazing at Finnick all the while, I peel off my now soaked dress, and throw that out too. Finnick's eyes have gone dark with lust. Grabbing the soap, I tell him to turn around, and when he obeys, I start with his shoulders and work down.

I finish his back, and he turns around.

"Katniss." His voice is husky, and I catch a glimpse of his lust filled eyes, before his lips are on mine. Ignoring the fire burning within me, I pull back, push the curtain back, and jump out of the shower. I grab a towel from a rack on the wall near the shower and run from him, giggling madly. He chases me, and catches me near the corner of his apartment with the fridge. He wraps his arms around me and kisses me with such passion that I have no choice but to respond in kind.

My fingers tangle in his hair, and I back up until the small of my back hit's his table.

Kissing my neck and chest, his skilled hands unclasp my bra. He takes one of my breasts into his mouth, sucking and biting lightly at the tip, and I cannot help the moan that escapes me at his actions.

His free hand roams down my stomach, then to my hips, where he takes the soaked fabric of my panties, and pulls them off, his mouth only leaving my breast to instruct me to lift my feet.

Having completed that task, he runs his hand up my thigh, while his lips return to mine. I gasp when I feel his fingers on my exposed clit. I cry out as he slides two fingers into me. He smiles against my mouth, then withdraws his fingers, and pulls away from me.

Taking his very hard member in his hand, he guides himself into me, and we moan collectively at the feeling of being joined.

"My, Katniss." He hisses, pumping in and out of me slowly.

My fingers tangle in his hair.

"Fuck me, Finnick."

He responds immediately, sliding in and out of me faster now. He uses one hand to hold me steady, and the other rubs my tight bundle of nerves.

He bends down and kisses me, his lips create a fire in my body, and it isn't long before my orgasm roars through me with all the heat of an inferno.

He soon follows, groaning against my mouth as he does. He pulls out of me, and lifts me off the table, and into his arms. He carries me to his bed.

I have time to notice the light blue color of his sheets before his arm wraps around me from behind, and pulls me to him, and I drift off into the most restful sleep I've ever had.


	12. Chapter 12

"Come on Kitty Kat – wake up."

The warm whisper across my face roused me before I could notice the feather-light kisses being placed on my temple. _Where am I?_ This wasn't Johanna's traditional wake-up call, nor was it Prim's.

I opened my eyes cautiously and looked up into deep green.

"Finnick?"

He smiled at me. "I've been laying here for an hour, waiting for you to wake up so I could see those eyes."

I groaned. "Now that you've seen them, can I go back to sleep?" I closed my eyes and rolled away from him, curling up around myself and snuggling into a pillow.

He rolled me back. "Nope! It's dinner time, and it's my job to keep you fed. So get up before I make you."

Groaning again, I pulled myself from the comfort of the bed and sat there as I watched Finnick's gloriously naked body move to his closet and pull out a pair of pants.

"Enjoying the view?" he smirked.

"On the contrary, I was just wondering what I was doing in bed with the likes of you."

He laughed before turning his attention to the wrinkled and soaked dress that lay adjacent to his shower. "I'm afraid I may have ruined your dress earlier…"

"It's ok, it isn't mine – it's Jo's. I'll get her a new one."

"While that's all good, I was more concerned about what you're going to wear to dinner now." He stares down at my naked body for a moment, making me giggle at his pensive gaze. "I must admit – that first time we spoke in my office, I couldn't help but admire how sexy you looked in my clothes. We may just have to make that happen again."

He rummaged through his closet until he found a relatively small t-shirt displaying the words "Oxygen is overrated" and a pair of basketball shorts.

"I wish I could find something more your style, but this seems to be all I have in my closet that has even the slightest chance of fitting you. I'm sure you'll make it look sexy as hell, though – you always do."

I blushed at the obvious compliment and slid into the clothes. By the time I was done, he was as well, and we left the apartment for his car.

"Where would you like to eat?" he asked as he laced our fingers together between the seats.

I thought for a moment. "Ice cream."

Finnick laughed. "Ice cream? For dinner?"

"Yes – Haagen Dazs, if you can manage it." I tried to keep a straight face, but I couldn't. An impossibly wide grin stretched across my features.

"That sounds like a very unhealthy meal, Kitty Kat." He looked at me reproachfully, though his lips twitched, giving away his smile.

"Well, I think we can manage to burn off the calories when we get back to your place afterwards." I winked at him and bit my lip, just in case he didn't understand my meaning.

The car lurched forward as he shouted, "Haagen Dazs, here we come!"

Twenty minutes later, we were sitting on a bench near the ice cream shop, cones in hand, playing with each other's fingers.

"How can you eat that fruity shit?" Finnick asked, nodding at my pineapple coconut.

I laughed. "Better than rum raisin – eww."

"What? It's a nice, manly flavor."

"Not everything has to be manly, Finn."

"Well, you are what you eat…"

I shoved him lightly in the side and he took my nearness as an opportunity – locking his lips to mine. I sighed into the kiss and opened my mouth to let him in.

"Katniss!?"

I broke away from Finnick and looked up to see a very shocked-looking Peeta stopped dead in the middle of the street, glaring at Finnick.

_Could your timing _be_ any worse?_

"What's up, Peeta?" _Please go away now._

But Peeta wasn't paying attention to me. His eyes were fixed on Finnick, and his entire body trembled.

"You bastard." Peeta finally said. "You fucking bastard! How dare you steal my girl!"

He lunged at Finnick, fists raised, and began to repeatedly attack my man's beautiful face. I grabbed onto Peeta's arms and pulled as hard as I could to get him to stop, and eventually succeeded in putting some distance between the two boys. The one thing I couldn't stop, though, was Peeta's mouth.

"You fucking pedophile, hooking up with a student. You could screw any girl on the planet and you had to choose a student! She deserves so much better! Katniss Everdeen is a goddess among women, and she deserves someone better than some swim-teacher slut like you!"

"You're right."

Finnick's reply had been so soft that I'd barely heard it. But I did. And so did Peeta.

Finnick continued, "She does deserve better. I wish I could be better – be what she deserves – and it kills me that I'm not. But through some miracle, she's decided that she wants to be with me, and there's now that that's happened, there's no way I'm going to let her get away from me."

Peeta shook his head and turned to me. "No, Katniss…you don't want this. He's fucking his student – what does that say about his moral integrity? Come on Katniss, you know you don't want that. But you and I…we make so much sense. Think about it, we've known each other for years, not days. Leave this guy and so we can be us. We can be together like it's supposed to be. Just think about how great we would be Katniss. Just you and me. Us. It's all I've wanted ever since freshman year. Johanna's gonna be out of the picture soon and everything can be as it's supposed to be." And then his mouth is on mine – hard and uninvited. I push against his shoulders, but his grip is too strong. He held me to him for what seemed like hours, until finally, a fist connected with his temple and he was forced to stumble away from me.

A positively livid-looking Finnick wrapped one arm around my waist and tugged me to his side. "Don't you _ever_ touch her again," he growled before pulling my back towards his car. Our ice-cream cones now laid splattered and half-eaten on the sidewalk.

And I had a feeling we wouldn't be sticking around for more.


	13. Chapter 13

Finnick opens the door for me, his blue eyes burn into mine as he gestures towards the seat. I know he's angry but I am too_. _I climb in the car. Finnick closes the door, too hard. He practically runs around to the driver's seat. After buckling his seat belt and making sure I have mine on, he steps on it. His eyes are dark, but not with lust, and I'm sure mine are the same.

"You believe him?" His voice is more of a growl.

"No! Finnick you're perfect." I can't keep the anger out of my voice.

"What is it?" He asks calmly, but his white knuckles on the wheel tell a different story. I know it shouldn't be a big deal. But I snap.

"You are! I can fight my own battles damn it! If you would stop just for a moment you could see that. I can take care of myself! Peeta has been tailing me for weeks. BEFORE, yes BEFORE we started dating! I could take care of myself then, I can take care of myself now. I have no interest in him."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He practically yells.

"There was no point! As I said I am not interested in him, and never have been! I can fight my own battles! I'm not a weak, hiding girl, and if that's what you want, then let me go. If that's what you want from me. Maybe Peeta was right! Maybe you aren't good for me!"

"Katniss, I don't want you to change, ever. I love you the way you are—_Part of me hears what he's saying, but I'm too angry, at him, and at Peeta._—but I have to protect you."

"You're not protecting me, you're chaining me down. Stop the car."

"Katniss!" There's panic in his voice now.

"No Finnick! Stop the fucking car!"

We're eight blocks away from the campus when he finally listens. I get out, and slam the door. I walk away, and out of the corner of my eye I see him slump over the wheel, shoulders shaking. I turn the corner without looking back, but I don't hear him drive away.

I start walking. I can't face Johanna, and Finnick would probably be waiting for me anyway, and maybe Peeta. I growl in frustration. It'll be evening soon and I have nowhere to go.

Gale. Gale will understand, he's been through enough relationships before. I smirk. I'll stay at his place for the night and try to work things out tomorrow. Hailing a passing taxi, I hand the driver a twenty and tell him the address, before selecting Gale's number.

"Catnip?"

"Hey Gale. I'm coming over. I'll be at your place in around 40 minutes."

"Something wrong?" I hear the worry in his voice.

"Yeah. Finnick and I had a…disagreement."

"Alright, I'll be there."

I hang up. It's been a while since I went to his place. But he's like a brother to me; I can talk to him about anything. I tune out the world, trying to calm my brain waves, for the rest of the drive.

When the taxi pulls up in front of the apartment, I see Gale getting out of a car just in front. A tad confused, I jump out of the taxi, and run towards him, feeling tears threatening.

He turns at the sound of my footsteps, and envelopes me in his arms, crushing me to him. I just about lose it right there. My anger has faded, and now I'm frightened. _Will Finnick ever forgive me?_

Gale hauls two bags out of his car, then hands me a pizza box.

"Here, I got some food and stuff, there uh wasn't a lot in the fridge when you called, and I know you love pizza when you're sad."

I nod wordlessly. _He knows me too well…_

The story comes out in bits and pieces as we share the box of pizza Gale bought. When I finally finish though, Gale looks pensive.

"You're proud, Catnip, but he was just trying to help. Also from a guy's perspective…you could've been cheating on him."

"Oh god, what if he thinks that?! I haven't been! I have no interest in Peeta whatsoever."

"Have you told him that?" Gale says calmly.

"Yes! But it didn't seem like he listened to me!" I practically yell, exasperated.

"Catnip calm down."

"But he—

That's when Gale kisses me. It happens so fast that I hardly have time to blink let alone stop him. I shove him off me, and he goes sprawling off the couch, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the coffee table.

"What the fuck?! You're my best friend Gale! We were over long ago!"

He raises his head from where he is sprawled on the floor.

"I know Catnip, but you just looked so sad, and…it was an impulse."

"May I remind you that I am dating someone? Yes someone I had a fight with, but I am still dating him! This means I just cheated on him."

"I'm sorry Catnip, I just—

"No Gale. There's nothing you can say now."

I get up and grab my purse from the floor. I am putting on my jacket when Gale sits up.

"Wait, where are you going?" He asks, panic clear in his voice.

"I'm going somewhere far away from here because apparently I can't even trust my best friend!" I yell.

I half run towards the door. I make it halfway before Gale grabs my arm and stops me in my tracks.

"Katniss, I love you." He stares into my eyes and I freeze at his words. "I've been trying to tell you this for a while now, but I didn't know how…"

If looks could kill he would be six feet under the ground by now.

"Let me go Gale!" I growl, trying to yank my arm from his grip, but he doesn't let go, and he's too strong.

"Catnip!"

Part of me thinks I should listen to him, hear him out. But I'm too mad. My arm whips out and I slap him. I'm not strong enough to do any actual damage, but I can see the hurt in his eyes anyway.

He lets go of my arm, and I run the rest of the way to the door. I slam the door behind me, but not before catching a glimpse of my oldest friend sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.


	14. Chapter 14

**So…updating hasn't exactly been our strong suit lately…sorry folks. Hopefully that will change soon, as Drowning Embers and myself will be off school for winter break in a little over a week, though I can't make any promises, as I am currently attempting to cowrite this AND work on my solo fanfic "When Katniss Met Peeta", which you should all take a look at (assuming you're not such a die-hard Finniss shipper that you can read Everlark stories, too). Anyway, enjoy this chapter!**

_The nerve of that boy…_

I was sitting at the bus stop about a block from Gale's apartment, crying. I did not cry, ever, particularly in public. But with all the emotional trauma of today, I found myself not caring who saw tear tracks on my cheeks.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Johanna's number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._ "_Yeah?_"

"Jo? It's me, Katniss."

There was static on the line – whether it was her or me, I wasn't sure.

"_Hey, Brainless. Where are you – you've been gone pretty much all day._"

"Yeah, about that…uhm…I'm at the bus stop by Gale's place. Can you come get me?"

"_The bus stop? Gale's place? What happened, Kitty Kat?_"

"I'll tell you later. Can you please just come?"

"_I'll be there in ten minutes._"

There was a soft click, followed by the dial tone. I was alone once again.

It was unseasonably cold that night, and a few vacant leaves and pieces of garbage stumbled their way across the concrete. I pulled my arms inside of Finnick's T-shirt and rubbed my cold hands against them in an attempt to create some friction for warmth.

Soon, Johanna's forest green Hummer rolled to a stop in front of me. She reached across the console and popped the door for me.

"You ok, Katniss?" she asked as soon as she saw the tear stains.

I froze. Johanna had just called me by my real name…what?

"Well don't just stand there, get in the car."

I followed orders and pulled myself up into the passenger's seat, finding (much to my satisfaction) that Jo had turned on the seat warmer.

She didn't say anything on the ride back to the dorms. This was one of the things I liked about Johanna – although she usually didn't care what people wanted, she knew when they weren't ready talk, and occasionally, she cared enough to respect that.

As soon as we'd reached our room, Johanna put one arm around my waist and placed a light kiss to my forehead. "You wanna tell me what happened now?" she asked.

I moved away from her and sat on my bed. "Well, I went to Finnick's apartment, and we had this really great, amazing, mind blowing sex, which tired us out so much that we fell asleep. Well, when we woke up, we decided to go get some ice cream, so we did, but while we were eating Peeta came up and –"

"Peeta?" Johanna's eyebrows perked up.

_Shit_. I thought. _I almost forgot…they're still together! She's gonna hate me for this…_

"Yes," my voice got quieter, "Peeta. He…he started yelling at Finnick about…about how Finn doesn't deserve me and how I shouldn't be with him. And then Peeta kissed me, and Finnick punched him. And then I got all mad at Finnick because I can take care of myself, and then we stopped the car and then Gale said he loves me and then he kissed me and then I didn't know where to go so I called you."

Jo thought for a moment. "Peeta kissed you?"

I nodded, embarrassed.

"What did he say?"

Her voice was so heart-wrenchingly sorrowful that I couldn't even look at her.

"Something about how he and I were meant to be together…and that you…you would be…be…out of the picture soon." I said the last bit so softly it was almost inaudible.

But Jo heard it.

"I see."

I looked up at her. "Jo, I didn't want that – I don't want him. _He_ kissed _me_. I would never do that to you – you know that!"

She nodded. "I know Katniss. I know you wouldn't. And I knew that he liked you…I just didn't know he would do anything about it."

"I'm sorry Jo…"

She shook her head and smiled sadly at me. "It's ok, Brainless – we don't need him. Chicks before dicks, right?"

I sighed in relief. "Always."

She nodded, then shook her shoulders as if she was shaking off the news of Peeta's betrayal.

"Now," she said in her usual I-don't-take-crap-from-no-one voice, "the fun begins."

I was confused. "Fun?"

"We get to see your dick try to win you back!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi! DrowningEmbers here. I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates recently, things have been extremely busy for me. Also, I've started a new everlark fanfic called ****Forgive Me ****so if you have a minute, please check it out, I'd appreciate it! Thanks for continuing to read our story! **

_I miss him. I miss his hair. I miss his eyes. I miss his way of comforting me when I'm worried. I miss his swim lessons._

_Finnick…where are you? Have I messed it up forever? I was just tired and cranky and upset because of Peeta…How could you think that you're not perfect? How could you think that I don't care about you?_

"Katniss! You there! Anybody home?!" I blink, then scowl as Johanna raps on my forehead with her knuckles.

"Yeah, sorry, Jo...I was just trying to recall the assignments from history…" I mumble when I see Johanna's worried expression.

"History assignments my ass—it's break!" Johanna glares at me. "You were thinking about Finnick weren't you?"

I sigh and nod, figuring it might be better to just admit it while she's relatively calm and not angry at me.

She sighs heavily. "Katniss, I know it's been a couple days, but maybe he just needs time! You were the one who ordered him to stop the car after all..." She then looked into her friend's anxious eyes, and her expression turned sympathetic. "Don't worry Katniss. He'll come around. You'll see."

I sigh. She's right, I was the one who walked out on him.

"Johanna," I ask, "Can I have my phone back now?" She had taken it from me to stop me from calling him over and over in multiple attempts to apologize. Suddenly music starts playing.

_There is a castle on a cloud/I like to go there in my sleep/aren't any floors for me to sweep/not in my castle on a cloud._

At first I think it's Johanna singing, but when she reaches under her bed and pulls out my flashing phone, I remember that that's what my ringtone sounds like, because I never changed it after seeing _Les Miserables _with my sister last June.

Johanna tosses it to me. I look at the caller ID and feel a chill. It's Finnick.

I press _answer_.

"Katniss, it's Finnick." He says. He sounds exhausted, but I can't help but smile.

"I know…I have caller ID" I reply, praying my nerves don't sound in my voice.

He chuckles. "I'd like to talk to you face to face, would you be willing to have coffee with me?"

My heart is in my throat as I reply, "Sure…where and when?"

"Want to meet me at the Forest Café tomorrow at two?" He sounds nervous, which eases my nerves some. We were both in the wrong…but still, will he forgive me?

"Yes! I mean…sure, that'll work. See you then, Finnick."

"Bye, Katniss."

Taking the phone away from my ear I hang up, my fingers shaking slightly. Johanna gives me a look that says, "tell me all, or else."

Sighing I say, "We're gonna meet up tomorrow, at the Forest Café at two in the afternoon."

"I guess it can't be helped. Come on Kitty Kat, it's late. You need to sleep for your big date tomorrow."

With that, Johanna got up, put on her plaid pajama bottoms and tank top, and crawled under her blankets. I changed into my pajama shorts and t-shirt and climbed into bed as well, feeling like I would never be able to sleep, but the minute my head hit the pillow, I boarded the train into dream-land.

_I caught a glimpse of green eyes and bronze hair, and then his lips were on mine. He kissed me softly first, then, when I wrapped my arms around his neck, harder. I felt his tongue flick against my lips and opened my mouth gladly, tasting him once again. He tasted like heaven. His hands, which had been on my waist, go to the zipper on my jacket. Without breaking the kiss he unzips my jacket, and I pull it off before reaching for the buttons of his shirt. _

_His lips break from mine, and he trails kisses down my neck, to my collarbone. I mewl softly when I feel his hands on my breasts. Desperate for more, I reach down and pull off my tank top. I got to undo my bra, but his hands are already there. Before I can even process it, his mouth is on my left nipple, licking, sucking, and biting softly, as he grasps my right breast with his free hand. I moan, the sensation is beyond belief—_

I jerk awake as a pillow hits my face. I splutter, still have in my dream, and look to the side to see Johanna, pillow raised above her head, ready for another feathery blow.

"Johanna, stop!" I yell.

"Alright, alright, but you were moaning in your sleep. I heard a lot of Finnick's name. Besides, it's 10 in the morning. You have four hours, to get yourself ready, and eat something, so you don't pass out during your big date.

Slowly I got up, swinging my feet into my slippers which rested next to the bed. I sat down at the coffee table. Even thought I had slept late, it hadn't been a very restful sleep…

"Here I got you a bagel BLT. What's with that look?" Johanna asked as I stared at her.

"No offenses Jo…but you're being so…nice." I replied, she was never like this.

"Look, Kitty Kat. I want this to work out for you, I really do. And if that means buying you food, so be it. I've never seen you so happy as you are when you talk about him. I don't want to see you get hurt. Even though I know you're completely capable of kicking his ass yourself if he hurts you, I just don't want to see you as depressed as you were when Gale broke up with you. Now eat."

Taken aback by her speech, I obey, and dig into my delicious bagel. By the time I am done eating, she has picked out an outfit for me. Black boots, skinny jeans, and a loose sparkly black tank-top. I dress, and do a bit of makeup, and then I am out the door.

I arrive at the café a couple minutes early. I get out of the car, and walk into the café to get a table. I see an empty table in the corner, but before I get there, a hand grabs my shoulder. I turn around to see bronze hair and green eyes. It's Finnick.


	16. Chapter 16

**Don't hurt me! (This is Jenebra here) Ok, so I know it's been forever since this was updated. It's really not DrowningEmbers' fault – she reminded me several times and I just couldn't get this written. But TA DA, here it is! (Also, if you read any of my other fanfics, they'll be updated soon, I promise). Also, to any Greek Life junkies out there, I would like to preface this chapter by saying that I don't know a whole lot about Greek traditions.**

"Finnick," I stammer.

"Katniss…" He's cautious. _Good,_ I think.

"I missed you."

As though that were an invitation, his arms are suddenly around me and his mouth is glued to mine. I tangle my fingers in his hair and tug, eliciting a groan from him. He backs me up until my body hits the brick wall. I can feel its scratchy texture through the thin layer of my tank-top.

Someone whistles.

_That's right – we're in public. Damn._

I gently push Finnick off of me and adjust my shirt. He smiles.

"Hi," he whispers. "Sorry."

I shrug. "It's ok. I was just…I…we should get a table."

Finnick nods. I giggle nervously as he pulls out a chair for me before going to the counter to get our drinks.

The shop isn't particularly full. A couple of other college kids eating bagels and drinking too-sugary tea. In the far corner, my math teacher has his nose buried in a Stephen Hawking book.

Finnick returns carrying two faded yellow mugs.

"Nonfat peppermint hot chocolate with whip," he announces as he sets one of the mugs in front of me.

I laugh. "Thanks. You remembered…"

His suddenly serious gaze captures mine. "I remember everything about you."

I blush. He smiles.

"I missed you," he says.

"I missed you, too. But I said that earlier, so…"

"I don't get tired of hearing it."

An awkward silence settles over us and I look about the room, setting my eyes on anything but him.

"So," he finally says, "I thought a lot about what happened the other night. And I think I may have…over-reacted a bit and I just want you to know that I know that you wouldn't ever do anything to hurt me or us. And I love you."

"I love you too."

"And I want to…I want to prove it to you. So…"

He falls gracefully out of his chair and kneels on the floor. _Crap._ His hand reaches into his pocket and he pulls out a small, square jewelry box. _No no no!_

"Katniss," he smiles up at me, "will you –"

"Gale kissed me!"

Another awkward silence. Damn, I'm good at causing those.

Finnick's hand, still holding the jewelry box, falls.

"Gale what?" he breathed.

I took a deep breath. "He kissed me."

"When?"

"The night…the night we…I mean, you and I…"

He stands. "Well, you sure move fast, don't you? First Peeta, then me, then Gale? Aren't I enough for you!?"

I rise and grasp his biceps, shaking him slightly. "Yes! You are! You're more than enough! Gale may have kissed me, but _I didn't kiss him back_. I love you, and I don't know why I even told you about Gale, but…I just…I don't want to…I'm not ready…marriage?"

Finnick's eyes go wide. "Marriage!? No…no! Kat, that wasn't…I'm not…no!"

"Oh." _I feel stupid now._ "What is that then?" I point to the box.

"Did I ever tell you that I was in a fraternity in college?"

_Finnick's a frat boy? What?_ "No."

"Well, I was. In fact, I'm still involved in the house because I work at the school. And in fraternities, we have this tradition of, when you love someone and you want the world to know that you're together, you give her a necklace with your house letters on them." He pops open the box to reveal shining gold _Pi Kappa Gamma_ symbols dangling from a chain. It's beautiful.

"Katniss," he gets back down and holds open the box, "will you wear my letters?"

I barely have time to nod before he grabs my hand and drags me out the door.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

He smirks. "My place. I need you. Now."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi! DrowningEmbers here. So I haven't done an author's note in a while, so just thought I'd say hi. Warning: Smut ahead. **

We barely make it in the door of his apartment building. One minute he's fumbling with the doorknob and the next, his lips are on mine, kissing, tasting, turning me into an inferno. He bites my lip gently, then harder, sending a spark of pleasure strait through me.

And then he's pulling away, and running up the stairs to unlock his door. I catch him seconds later and push him against wall next to the door, and crash my lips to his. He struggles briefly with the key, and then he's pulling me into the room. H

His dark, pooling eyes, find mine, then he grabs me, lifts me up over his shoulder, and seconds later, throws me down onto the bed.

I use my elbows to propel myself backwards, almost to the headboard. Finnick stands at the foot of the bed, watching me. I watch, breathless as he kicks off his shoes, and simultaneously pulls off his shirt. I get a brief glimpse off a perfectly sculpted chest before his lips return to mine.

His tongue slips into my mouth as his fingers find the edges of my tank top, pulls it off. His lips return to mine only briefly before moving to my neck, biting and sucking, hard enough that I know I'll have a mark in the morning.

"You're mine." He practically growls in my ear as he undoes the clasp of my bra, pulling it off with one fluid motion. He leans forward and takes my right nipple in his mouth, biting it slightly as he palms my other breast with his hand. It doesn't take long before I'm moaning like a porn star, my head fallen back on the pillow.

I whimper in protest as he pulls away, kissing down the plane of my stomach before dipping his tongue into my naval. His agile fingers find the button of my jeans, and then rip them off me. My panties soon follow, and he brushes his lips over each of my hip bones before I lose sight of his finely structured face between my legs. His tongue moves in one long stroke up my clit and I moan, my head falling back on the pillow. He moves his tongue slowly, paying special attention to the little bundle of nerves that is always guaranteed to get me off.

A short time later I'm shaking and trembling, grabbing his hair, as he sucks, and flicks his tongue, and fucks me with his fingers. The coil in my core implodes, and I clench my thighs around his head, my back arching off the mattress as my orgasm hurtles through me.

He strips off his jeans and plaid boxers, and rolls on a condom from his bedside table. He strokes himself once before leaning over me. He kisses me hard, and then flips us over so I'm balanced over him. I position myself over him, and guiding him with my hand, I sink down onto him so he is buried in me completely.

We moan in unison at the feeling. I'm so full, almost too full, and there a slight sting of pain, that fades as I see the look in my Greek god's eyes. Placing my hands on his chest, I slowly begin to move. There is nothing like this feeling, him inside me, his hands grasping my hips tightly enough to leave bruises.

"Fuck, Katniss." Finnick gasps out, his hips beginning to thrust upwards. I let him take the reins and lean over to kiss him as he thrusts into me with abandon, getting faster and harder.

I kiss down his jaw before sinking my teeth into the sweet spot between his shoulder and his neck. Finnick moans his eyes tightly shut as his hands leave my hips to grasp my breasts. His long fingers twist my nipples almost to the point of pain, but it only adds to the fire that is consuming my body, spreading from my core outwards.

His hands leave my breasts as he continues thrusting into me. His fingers rub my clit, and I explode. My back arches and a wordless cry escapes my lips. Stars whirl before my eyes as I feel him thrust three more times before burying himself inside me, moaning, as his orgasm crashes through him. As feeling slowly comes back to my extremities, I collapse on top of him, both of us panting heavily. I slowly become aware of something hard against my chest. Puzzled, I raise my head to see the glint of the gold letters _Pi Kappa Gamma_.

I smile to myself, and just before I fall over the brink into sleep, from somewhere above my head, I hear Finnick say, "I love you."

I wake up to rain pattering on the window, Finnick's warm chest, and my phone ringing from my bag where I dropped earlier. I flush as I remember the reason for dropping said bag, before clambering slowly off a still sleeping Finnick.

I tiptoe across the room, grabbing one of Finnick's shirts and slipping it on, then grabbing my phone.

It's Johanna. I sigh, she's probably wondering where I've been. I sigh and press "accept", making sure to hold the phone a couple of feet away from my ear so I won't go deaf.

"Where are you, bitch?" she yells into the phone.

"Sorry, Jo, I was talking with Finnick." I whisper, trying not to wake said bronze haired man, sleeping a yard or two away.

"and?" she asks, clear disapproval in her tone.

"and that was the best make-up sex I've ever had" I finish, grinning as I imagine her pretend scandalized face.

She cackles manically. "I'm sure it was. Hey kitty-Kat, guess what?"

"What?" I ask still whispering.

"I'm a tattoo artist! I've been trying to get my license for a while now and I finally did it! Come to 432 Wave Street! I need a guinea pig. I'll be there at 4."

Leaving no room for argument, she hangs up. I sigh, I'll just go and try to convince her that I really don't want any ink on my skin. I check my phone; it's only two o'clock so I have time. I crawl back into bed with Finnick, only to find his eyes open, watching me.

"That shirt looks better on you than it does on me, drat." He says softly.

I laugh quietly, and lie down next to him.

"Who was on the phone?" He asks lightly.

"Johanna, she's just become a tattoo artist, and she wants a guinea pig."

"You're getting a tattoo?! Hmm, you'd probably look good with some ink. Can I watch?" He asks, laughing.

"Umm sure."


End file.
